Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.

Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son? Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Beth-el, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine and they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.

After that thou shalt come to the hill. of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy: and the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee. And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down. unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.

And it was so, that when he had

turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.

And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses: and when we saw that they were no where, we came to Samuel,

And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you. And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not.

And Samuel called the people together unto the Lord to Mizpeh; and said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you and ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands.

And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. When he

had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken and when they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff. And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save king.

the

Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched. But

the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee.

And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel. And

the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee.

Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the

ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept. And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.

And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly. And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with

one consent.

And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of JabeshGilead, To-morrow, by that time the sun be hot, ye shall have help.

And the messengers came and shewed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. Therefore the men of Jabesh said, To-morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you.

And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.

And the people said unto Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death. And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day for to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel.

Then said Samuel to the people,

Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there. And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offering before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. And now, behold, the king walketh before you and I am old and greyheaded : and, behold, my sons are with you : and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.

Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.

And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand. And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.

And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.

When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place. And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of

Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.

And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.

And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king. Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.

If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: but if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.

Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.

So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.

And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have

added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.

And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; and turn ye not aside; for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. For the LORD will not forsake his people. for his great name's sake: because it

hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.

Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.

Question.-Was there in the law of Moses any special command against taking bribes and perverting judgment, the offences committed by the sons of Samuel?

Answer. We read in the Book of Deuteronomy that Moses said to the people, when he commanded them to appoint judges, "Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift." Q.--Why did the demand for a king displease Samuel?

4. He had endeavoured to do his duty as a judge in Israel, and he felt it as a slight that the people should wish to put a king in his place, but the Lord reminded him that the offence against Himself was greater than the apparent slight of Samuel. The people rejected the government appointed by the Lord, and wished to imitate the practice of the heathen nations and have a king. "They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them." The people having been so ungrateful to the Lord who had brought them out of Egypt, Samuel need not be surprised that they forgot the great services he had rendered as prophet and judge.

Q-What good example of conduct did Samuel give?

4.-He did not act on his own judgment, or allow his feel

ings to control his conduct, although he was greatly hurt and offended, but he prayed to the Lord for guidance. We should ask God's help and guidance in all the affairs of life.

Q.-What was Samuel directed to do?

4.-To "protest solemnly," to warn the people of the evils

they were preparing for themselves by asking for a king. Having warned them, he would, if they still wished it, grant their request, but they must be prepared to take the consequences of their act.

Q.-Kish is described as "a mighty man of power." Does this mean that he had great strength of body, or was a powerful chief?

A.—A man of wealth is probably meant; in Ruth, Boaz is spoken of as "a mighty man of wealth."

Q-Why is particular attention directed to Saul's personal appearance, "there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he?"

A.-"Goodly" means "handsome, tall, and strong." In nations in the old times, when kings took a more active it was part in leading the people than they dò now, always desirable that the king should have a fine person, and be expert in all warlike exercises, so that he could be among the foremost in battle, and have a dignified appearance on state occasions. Saul stood a head and shoulders higher than any other man among the Israelites, and we shall read as we go on what a powerful and brave warrior he proved to be.

Q-Why did Saul go to Samuel to inquire about the asses he had lost?"

A.-He seems, at that time, to have known so little of the real character of Samuel, that he supposed him to be a diviner, or one able to discover lost things, and that he would require to be paid for his trouble. In all ages there have been persons pretending to possess unusual powers of obtaining information, and ignorant people have resorted to them. Even now there are "wise people," or "fortune-tellers," as they are sometimes called, to whom silly people go when they have lost anything, and who persuade them that they are able to predict what will happen to them.

Q. What did Samuel mean when, having told Saul not to set his mind on the asses that were lost, he went on to ask him, "On whom is all the desire of Israel?"

A.-It was an intimation to Saul that he would, by the general desire of the people, be called on to undertake duties far more important than the search for the lost asses. The prophet did not at the time tell him that he was chosen to be king; but said enough, no doubt, to make Saul understand that he was about to be chosen for some great work.

Q. Why did Saul reply, "Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel?"

4. The tribes of Benjamin had suffered greatly in the war described in the Book of Judges; and Saul was sur

The

prised that one of that small and insignificant tribe should be chosen to a position of honour. The Lord chooses His instruments as He thinks best. parable in the New Testament teaches us that sometimes the last are chosen to be first, and the poor apostles, fishermen and other humble men, were taught by the Saviour truths which princes and other great men of the earth had in vain desired to know. Q.-Samuel talked to Saul upon the top of the house. Was that a customary place of resort?

A. The roofs of the houses were flat, and it was a common practice to sit or walk about there in the cool of the evening, and not unfrequently to sleep there. Many years after the time of Samuel, the apostle Peter, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, when at Joppa, "went up upon the housetop to pray."

Q.-Samuel poured oil on the head of Saul and kissed him. What was the meaning of those acts? A.-Anointing with oil was a mode of designating any person to a high office. When Moses received instructions for the service of the tabernacle, one of the directions given was to make a "holy anointing oil," composed of myrrh, sweet cinnamon, and other spices, and oil of olive. The kiss was "the kiss of homage." The practice of anointing a monarch when the crown is put on his head is followed now, and peers and other high personages give the "kiss of homage." Q.-Where was "the hill of God" where Saul would

meet the company of prophets? and what musical instruments would they be playing on? A.-The "hill of God" may have been so named because sacrifices had been offered there, or because a school of the prophets, or men of God, who instructed some of the youths of Israel, met there. Music was from very early times used in the service of the Lord. The psaltery was a kind of lyre, of a triangular shape with ten strings; the tabret was a little drum struck with the hand, the same probably as the timbrel used by Miriam and her companions, and not unlike the modern tambourine.

Q.-What was meant by the promise that Saul should be turned into another man." A. That his heart should be changed by the power of the Spirit of God. We read directly afterwards that "God gave him another heart and the Spirit of God came upon him."

Q.-Was not the question, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" asked upon another occasion?

A. Yes. After the escape of David to Naioth in Ramah, Saul went after him, to take him, but when he saw the company of prophets, or holy men, led by Samuel, among whom David had taken refuge, the Spirit came

upon him and he also prophesied, or “praised God," and the question was again asked, "Is Saul among the prophets?" Perhaps the people remembered what had beer said on the former occasion, and now repeated it; indeed, we read that the saying became a proverb. Q. What is meant by "Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom?"

A.-The laws by which the people should be governed, and the respective duties of the king and his subjects; what is known among us as "the constitution" of the kingdom. Samuel wrote it out and "laid it up before the Lord; " placed it, probably, by the side of the ark of the covenant, where it could be readily referred to. Q.-How did Saul behave when he went home to Gibeah?

A. He gave no attention to the words of the men of Belial, those who were wickedly disposed. He had with him a band of men whose hearts God had touched, men converted and enlightened by the Spirit of God, in whom he could trust, and trusting in the support of the Lord, he held his peace when the bad men reviled him. Q-Who was Nahash the Ammonite, and what agreement did he offer to make with the men of Jabesh-Gilead ?

A. He was the king of the people of Ammon. He was besieging Jabesh, and the people, scarcely thinking it possible that relief could come, asked Nahash upon what terms he would accept their surrender. He was cruel enough to say that if the men would submit to the loss of their right eyes, and so unfit themselves to bear arms, he would spare their lives, and their condi tion would be a continual reproach to the other Israelitish people for not rescuing them. Such instances of terrible cruelty are not uncommon in the East. Even in modern times a conqueror has been known to order the eyes of thousands of captives to be destroyed, in revenge for their opposition to him. Q.-Who was Bedan, who is mentioned as having

been sent by the Lord, as Jerubbaal (Gideon), Jephthah and Samuel had been sent, to deliver Israel?

A. The name is not mentioned in the book of Judges, or in any part of Scripture. It is thought that Samson is referred to. He was of the tribe of Dan, which forms part of the name Bedan. Some writers suggest that perhaps Barak is referred to.

Q.-Why was the sending of thunder looked upon as a remarkable instance of God's power?

A. In the land of Canaan the climate was more regular than with us. The harvest time was almost invariably fine and dry. Even a slight shower was nearly unknown; thunder and rain, therefore, were very remarkable, and looked upon as miraculous.

AUL reigned one year; and when

SAUL

he had reigned two years over Israel, Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in

mount Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

And Jonathan smote the garrison